Disclaimer: Again, I don't own anything or anybody except Tomoko, her family, and Nagareboshi Cafe. Any concepts/ideas mentioned in this fanfiction that seem to be borrowed from another media/piece of continuity - note that I don't mean to plagiarize anything or anybody in any way! This fanfic was made for entertainment purposes, not for pissing off others! So yeah!

The theme for this chapter is actually Yui Ogata's Future Strike from the Nanoha franchise's newest animated entry, Vivid Strike. If you're looking for a piano cover of the same song, I would point you towards kuroto2000's cover of it. It may only be the TV size version, but the piano sounds beautiful! Tomoko doesn't really play the song nor sing it this chapter, but it suits the mood and her current mindset in my opinion.

Please enjoy!

Note: I've actually talked with one of my consultants and we kinda decided on unofficial voice actors/Japanese seiyuu to represent the Hoshino Family in the story for those who are curious. Here they are!

Hoshino Tomoko - Kaori Mizuhashi (known for Mami Tomoe from Madoka and Vivio Takamachi from Nanoha)

Hisako (Tomoko's other personality) - Ai Nonaka (Kyoko Sakura from Madoka)

Hoshino Hikari - Nana Mizuki (think adult Fate Testarossa from Nanoha StrikerS for this)

Hoshino nee Yuki Judai - KENN (this one was kinda obvious by name)

Warning: From this chapter onwards, Civilian Pianist may get dark due to psychological themes relating to Tomoko's rather botched reincarnation and actual past memories that Vy shares with me. There is some mention of trauma and quite a few curse words, so be forewarned. Civilian Pianist will still be positive at some points, but this is something that needed to be said beforehand. Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, so this chapter is kinda just acknowledging that even for a civilian, the ninja world isn't always the best place to live in.

Edit and Extra Warning (12/28/2017): A reviewer recently brought up the issue of how this chapter in particular can be very triggering for those who have had experience with sexual assault, so for those who would like to skip those parts, please skip past the middle section of the chapter cut off by the horizontal lines.

Chapter 21: Future Strike

A sigh. They were really becoming common lately.

Minato-sensei blinked, rice ball a few inches from his mouth. "Kakashi? Everything okay?"

The ninja known as Hatake Kakashi didn't know what to think. Physically, he was feeling okay. But mentally?

'I will be able to tell you eventually, Kakashi-kun. It's not now, but you'll know eventually. You're my best friend — I'll let you know when I need you, okay? Don't take it as an insult to yourself. It's just me — and I need to figure this whole thing out before I can say anything. You understand, right?'

"…I would be lying if I said yes, Minato-sensei," Kakashi sighed again, rice ball slowly going cold in his gloved hands. Even though it was almost noon, his stomach just didn't feel hungry, and his heart was far too heavy in his chest.

Thank goodness Obito and Rin were far away enough to not hear. This was something personal — way too personal for the ninja to feel comfortable talking to his entire team about. Thankfully, they were more than 5 meters away from his current position, in their own world by sparring with one another.

What was weighing on his mind was something more than the usual banter his teammates brought.

Minato-sensei blinked again before swallowing the last bits of his food and wiping his hands on a tissue, face solemn. "…I'm guessing this is about Tomoko-chan?"

The mention of her name alone made his muscles tense, saliva drying up in his mouth. The Yellow Flash noticed this almost immediately, scooting closer to put an arm around the Chunin's shoulders.

"…I'm sorry, Kakashi, that shouldn't have happened," Minato-sensei said softly.

For some reason, the words alone just set off explosions. "It shouldn't have, but it did!" Kakashi found himself yelling, teeth biting his lip enough to draw blood through his mask. "Tomoko shouldn't have gone through that kind of shit, yet she was targeted!"

The Hatake knew he shouldn't have been yelling, considering how close his sensei was, but his vision was too inundated by red to stop. Kakashi didn't even see his teammates stop sparring at the sound of his voice, looking over in shock. "She's a civilian, sensei! She wasn't supposed to face death, yet it happened anyway! And we almost got there too late!" Even when his breathing was turning ragged, Minato-sensei stayed silent, the only sign that he was listening being the tight grip he had on Kakashi's shoulder. "She could've died, sensei, and had we not gotten there when we did, it might've been…"

A sudden image of a lifeless body flashed through his mind. It appeared to be similar to the enemies he slaughtered on the battlefield, but it was an image Kakashi didn't want to see period.

Pale green kimono dress, shining almost mournfully in the light of the setting sun. Splayed out black hair, hue dull from passing time. A large, hand-shaped redness, covering the soft skin connecting the body and head and leaving a deep mark. Familiar blue eyes, empty and lifeless, remnants of dried tears lurking in the dark.

The anger was already starting to seep away to only be replaced with loathing. "…She's my best friend, Minato-sensei." Kakashi puffed, tasting iron on his tongue. "Tomoko helped me when I needed it — hell, she and her family saved Dad, and yet —"

"—And yet we nearly failed her," the Jounin finished mournfully.

The infuriating dust was starting to show in his eyes as Kakashi attempted to rein his emotions back, fists tightly clenched in his lap to the point of crushing the rice ball in his grip. "…It's been more than three months, and yet Tomoko hasn't even touched the piano, sensei. S-She's been handling something on her own, and just can't tell me…" He inhaled as much air as he could. "Even going to the Yamanakas, but I-I just…"

I don't know what to do, his mind added helpfully. I want to help, but I don't know what to do.

Minato blinked before pulling his student into a side hug. "…I know, Kakashi, it's hard. But sometimes, those kind of things don't just go away with a snap of a finger. Events like that are life-changing."

The Yellow Flash knew it better than anyone else. The red hair trail leading to the outskirts of the Konoha border still flashed through his mind.

Not everything was sunshine and rainbows with the world these days.

"W-What do you mean that Uzushiogakure was destroyed?"

Minato shook his head softly to simply focus on the smaller, silver-haired ninja leaning on him, sighing. "Sometimes, all we can do is support our loved ones from the background, hoping that they get better."

Despite his words, Kakashi still tensed under his hold, frowning. "…But what if they don't, sensei?" He croaked.

Minato could only pull his first student closer, lump in his throat. "We'll just have to see."

It was difficult having to acknowledge that the world was cruel.

"Alright, Tomoko-chan, try again."

"…Haa…"

"That's good, keep your breathing steady." Hisako gently floated around me, brown eyes narrowed in concentration. "Don't lose your concentration. Focus on that one memory for a moment and then let it pass."

Easier said than done, I found myself remarking internally, but nevertheless followed her instructions. Another image, this time of Josh, floated by, before gently disappearing into the whiteness.

Now, you're probably wondering what all of this is about.

…Well, as Hisako would put it, it's…uh.

"I heard that, Tomoko-chan," she deadpanned, materializing a book in her hand to lightly bonk me on the head with its spine. Ow. I think she just did her own version of the Maka-Chop. "I know it's hard, but you need to organize your thoughts with me if you really want to get everything back together again."

…So basically, mind-filing/organization in my own mindscape.

While I would meditate in the outside world, my consciousness would go into my own mind with Hisako to handle cleaning up the images that were floating around when Inoichi-san came by. Meditation was something the Yamanaka and Dad had recommended after that initial therapy session, and Hisako just made some changes to make it what we were doing now. We had been doing this for the past few months while taking a break from the piano, just to make my mental library a bit neater on the lower floors.

Who knew trauma could mess up so much in someone's head?

…Then again, considering the world I was reborn in, I'm not that surprised to see something like that. I was just really hoping I could get by until I was eighteen mentally sane and healthy! I got through it last time! Not dealing with a split personality!

…Although Hisako is really nice, so I'll take that last part back. She is snarky like all heck though.

"So you're not brain-dead then?" Hisako deadpanned, her book very close to my head. "We still have a few more memories to get through before the end of this session, dear."

"I know that, Hisako…" I found myself mumbling, keeping my eyes closed. "Which ones are up next?"

"…Really personal ones to both you and me, Tomoko-chan." Even with my eyes closed, I didn't miss the soft note of hesitation going through the familiar baritone voice. "Are you sure about going through with these ones? I have others lying around, but your mind apparently brought these particular ones up."

Huh?

I opened my eyes to get an eyeful of worried brown through black-rimmed glasses. "What do you mean, Hisako? I thought you were the one bringing all the memories around. "

"…You keep forgetting that I'm a part of you, dear," the older woman said dryly, once again doing her version of the Maka-Chop on my head. "Even though I was created to help sort through this entire shitty mess, you still have the main controls. It may not have been your conscious decision, but some part of you brought these memories to the surface anyway."

To my surprise, what appeared to be a large light orb materialized itself in her hands, replacing the book, glowing brightly to the point of illuminating the beauty marks on Hisako's chin and nose. "Just from looking at this alone, I know that it's really f-ed up. Do you want to stop here?"

I didn't even need to think on it. "No, let's continue."

Hisako blinked before taking a step back, clear shock and surprise painted on her face. "H-huh?!" Her voice turned a bit high-pitched at that moment, making her appear much more like my past self. "W-Wait, are you serious?" Before I could take a moment to relish in the fact that I had broken Hisako's stoic demeanor through this entire exercise, I was surprised to find her rush back over to my sitting position, kneeling down to hold my cheek in her right hand, the light orb still floating over her left. "T-Tomoko-chan, why?"

Even with the panic in her eyes, I had already resolved myself, putting a hand over the one on my cheek. "Hisako, we started this whole routine to help get through all these memories. We just can't stop now." And I meant all. In the past few months, I had to essentially relive and review every point in Vy's past life, including her relationship with Leo and friendships with Josh, Nat-chan, Autumn, Kira-onee-chan — heck, even those private moments with family. It was painful, but I had gotten this far — and without the piano's help (which was an achievement in my book since the fear of that event was still there inside me).

It didn't feel right stopping at the thought of a 'f-ed up memory' if it meant I could go back to being Nagareboshi's pianist again.

Not to mention I could tell this whole thing was affecting my social life. Even though he wouldn't say anything, I knew Kakashi was getting frustrated with my quiet work. And as his best friend, I know better than anyone that he wanted answers as soon as possible. And I wanted to answer him. Hopefully this would be the last session to help sort through everything so that I could face those silver eyes again in the hopes of not seeing the Sharingan projected in the left orb.

To put it lightly, I really needed to get all my shit together if I even wanted to think about preventing the tragedy at Kannabi.

There was no way in hell I would let my best friend or any of my loved ones go through that kind of trauma if I could help it.

"…I don't know whether or not I should be proud of you or just plain pissed," Hisako deadpanned, bumping her forehead with mine in exasperation. "I'll ask this again, Tomoko-chan. Are you sure about seeing these memories? Even for me, I can tell it's a big, life-changing, and fucked up memory."

The fact that Hisako dropped the 'f-ed' up term for saying the full curse word said a lot.

Even then, I already knew my answer, glancing at the light orb in her left hand before nodding with a smile. "I'm sure, Hisako. It should be the last of this stuff, so let's get through it."

The woman in front of me simply sighed, a defeated smile on her face. "…What am I going to do with you?" she muttered, bringing me into a one-armed hug. "You're seriously unbelievable, Tomoko-chan."

Even though it was a serious atmosphere, I couldn't stop the giggle escaping my throat. "Tell me something I don't know, Hisako."

"Yes, yes, I know already," Hisako said dryly, letting go to look at me in the eye, light orb still in hand. "Ready?"

"Always."

Warning: The aforementioned events related to sexual trauma start here. If you have triggers of any kind, please skip this part!

The light orb floated in Hisako's left hand for a moment before flying over and sinking into my chest. Immediately, my surroundings disappeared, changing from my library mindscape into something… different.

"Vy, could you help me with this?"

Huh?

"…What is it this time, Bro?"

… Is that Hisako's voice? No, wait…

I forced myself to blink and wipe at my eyes before looking around again.

…Fuck. I knew where I was. The familiar pale white walls, the pink blankets on the bed, and a bunny plush toy.

The two siblings running by me just confirmed my worst suspicions and horror.

It was Vy - the past version of me, but considerably younger, looking to be around 10, running around with her older brother — my original older brother — in that childhood home. Judging by the faraway snores, Vy's — no, my old Dad was present too, but he was asleep in another room.

"I just learned something new in SexEd, and I was wondering if you could help me with something about it — that okay?"

Even for a memory, Big Bro looked exactly like he once did as an eleven-year old, with shaggy black hair and a bit of a protruding stomach. And for such an innocent question, the sense of foreboding and fear building up in me just confirmed which memory Hisako just put me in.

"…Uh, okay? But Daddy's asleep - shouldn't you try asking him? He should know better!"

Don't go there…please.

"I guess, but he's tired! And you're my little sis — you can help out, right?"

Don't…

"—moko-chan!"

"S-Sure! What do you want me to do?"

"I was kinda hoping you could take off your—"

No. Don't say yes. You'll just do something you'll regret, Vy! Don't do it!

"Tomoko-chan!"

"Uh…okay!"

NO!

"TOMOKO-CHAN!"

Before I even knew it, the two ghosts disappeared with that childhood home to be replaced by the familiar mindscape library, Hisako in front of me visibly sweating.

I didn't even realize I was hyperventilating until Hisako shook me by the shoulders, panic in her brown eyes. In the end, only a few words escaped my mouth. "H-Holy shit…"

"Goddamnit, Tomoko-chan!" Even with Hisako headbutting me with all the force she had, I could barely register the pain, only really recognizing her arms immediately wrapping around my limp form. "Why…? Why did you have to put that memory out?!"

Even though I was being squashed into her bosom, I apparently had enough breathing room to speak. "H-Hisako, was that—?"

"…Yeah…yeah…" Her long brown hair tickled my cheek as I could feel her chest begin to shake. To my shock, I could hear the familiar baritone crack as wet droplets started to fall on my head. "That…that was Vy's first trigger, Tomoko-chan. Vy's defining trauma." Hisako breathed in shakily before squeezing me a bit tighter. "Even for me, that was a lot to take in. We were lucky that you didn't get into the whole meat of the memory but even then. Traumatic experiences aren't pretty, and even if you're Tomoko now, the emotion is still there."

"…Even though that memory is no longer real, it still has an effect," I finished dully, only now really regaining enough of my bearings to hug Hisako back, closing my eyes to lean against her.

Traumas just suck — even ones that were supposed to stay dead.

It took a moment for both of us to calm down, and by the time I reopened my eyes, the library mindscape looked a bit messier with some books splayed open on the ground. Luckily, no memories were playing in them, so we were safe - somewhat.

Considering how Hisako was still shaken though, I didn't really know what to think.

"…Tomoko-chan?" I blinked before looking up and getting a glimpse of concerned brown through black-rimmed glasses. Hisako resembled Mom for a moment with the face she was making, eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Will you be alright heading back out there?"

"I'm not sure, Hisako." I found myself looking down at my lap, occasionally glancing at the left hand that once held that accursed memory. "That was a lot to take in - but I know I have to head back outside at one point. And you and I both know after that memory, we can't really continue this session any longer."

Even if time moved differently in my head, what about my physical body? I had no clue.

Sure, Mom and Dad knew I meditated these days, but for hours on end? That would probably worry them even more.

…And then there's Kakashi and Sakumo-san too…

Sigh.

To my surprise, Hisako sighed herself before reaching over to lean her forehead against mine, forcing me to look at her in the eye again. From the close distance, I could easily make out the markings on her glasses and the beauty mark on her nose. "Tomoko-chan, just be careful out there, okay? Promise me that."

Looking into that familiar brown said more than enough. I just nodded with a timid smile. "I promise Hisako."

The woman in front of me smiled back, tears still budding in her eyes before reaching over to give one last hug. I took a few moments to bask in the familiar warmth before closing my eyes. "I'll see you later then, Tomoko-chan."

The next time I opened my eyes, I got an eyeful of my bedroom. Even though I had only been meditating, it felt like something had changed in the atmosphere. Despite the usual placing of my futon, closet, and small stack of books in the corner, it felt different.

If anything, it felt like the calm before the storm with the stale air.

I decided to unfold my legs and stretch, only to get a large helping of OW.

Ugh. I guess I was sitting long enough to where my body just felt uncomfortable with the whole thing - providing a gift in the name of cramps. Holding back the urge to wince, I attempted to breathe deeply to calm the nerves while keeping one eye out on my surroundings. Even if it was just my room, I could see through the open window that the sun was setting.

By the time the cramps had finally started to simmer down in my legs, I could already tell that I had been sitting for a few hours without a break by that point. And with my stomach growling, it just showed that I really needed to get out of the room.

However, once I stood up to walk over to the door, the doorknob jiggled long before I even touched it, opening with an audible click. What greeted me was familiar silver spikes, a blue Konoha headband, and a half-lidded, exasperated gaze.

Oh great. Hisako commented dryly.

"K-Kakashi-kun?" I said slowly.

"Tomoko, could we talk?" my best friend ground out, frown visible through his mask.

For once, Hisako and I had the same thought.

Yep, we're in trouble.

The future Yamanaka Clan Head carefully walked into the room, immediately kneeling on one knee and bowing his head in respect. "…Hokage-sama?"

A soft puff of a pipe was his answer. "What is it, Inoichi?"

"I came to make a report on some findings I've discovered recently."

"What might those be?"

"Recently, I've been handling the therapy of a girl you may know by the name of Hoshino Tomoko."

Inoichi didn't have to look up to see the Third's reaction. Judging by his nonchalant turning of his chair and the shifting of paperwork, the ninja knew he had his leader's attention. "The pianist of Nagareboshi Cafe and Judai's daughter? Yes, I know of her — is there something to be concerned about?"

The Yamanaka just looked down at his hand, frown on his face. "The thing is, Hokage-sama, lately Tomoko-chan has been experiencing strange nightmares, and when Judai-senpai came to me asking for help on the subject matter, I went into her mind only to see a very disturbing scene."

"And that would be?"

"…The Nine-Tails assaulting what appeared to be Konoha, sir."

The audible sound of clay shattering echoed throughout the room as the soft puffing of tobacco disappeared in exchange for tension. "…How?"

"I don't understand it myself, sir. If anything, Hoshino Tomoko should not have any information about the Nine-Tails considering her civilian position. From what I've observed, she is friends with the current container, Uzumaki Kushina, but even then she has displayed no knowledge of Kushina-san's current status."

A deep breath. "…Was there anything else in those nightmares that needs to be investigated?"

"Scenes of what appeared to be an older Hatake Kakashi dead in rubble, and Uchiha Obito, crushed under a rock. They were all fragments of what appeared to be something greater, Hokage-sama, but I didn't really look into it much considering her emotional state. Judai-senpai originally came to me asking to help Tomoko due to her recent incident with a drunk nin trying to kill her, so I didn't want to probe more than necessary. If anything, they may be just fear-induced hallucinations, but with the Nine-Tails appearing in Tomoko's mind, I couldn't help but feel cautious."

A sigh. "Right now, we probably don't have enough evidence to prove that Hoshino Tomoko may have information on the future, Inoichi. If anything, they may just be hallucinations as you say. However, the fact that the Nine-Tails did appear does shed some suspicion on her. So, Inoichi, as Hokage, I order you to supervise Hoshino Tomoko and her continued therapy. If anything seems out of line, bring her to me immediately."

"Yes sir!"

Author's Note: Not much to say except an apology. I'm REALLY sorry to all my wonderful readers and followers for taking so long with this update — it was honestly a combination of writer's block, finishing up with finals, and getting distracted by playing Pokemon Moon, so it just took that long. Not to mention, it's kinda a short chapter since I just had a bit of a hard time trying to grasp the mood Civilian Pianist is going towards. The fact is that the bad customer experience was the first step towards a huge mess that Tomoko has to deal with, and the next few chapters is really me trying to show that this is getting serious. She can't just leave all this foreknowledge to herself, and things will change with how she handles things.

Hope you guys did enjoy the chapter though, and thanks again for supporting me! I'll be working on the next chapter ASAP to make up for this one!

Edit (6/30/2017): So a guest recently put up a review addressing this chapter as well as previous chapters up to this one, and all I can really say is an apology. When I look back at some of this early work, I find myself cringing because things could've been done better. There probably should have been more tension, a few more people actually doubting Tomoko's abilities, and the fact that I put out a personal trauma of my own in this chapter only to leave a note saying no questions was a bit foolish. But I'll still keep the stuff here. A friend recommended that I keep moving forward and only do rewrites when Civilian Pianist is finished, so until then, it's only spelling and grammar. I will keep future feedback for reference when that time comes. In the meantime, anyone is alright to asking me what happened. Just be aware that some questions may not be answered depending on how they are worded.